Unsaturated Space

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio 

The possibilities of a fresh blank canvas!

My friend Karen is moving from Arizona to Spokane this summer. They found and bought a beautiful house and are now in the process of turning it into their new home. So they have been thinking about what furniture and things they will want to move and what colors for the walls and drapes. Lots of exciting decisions to be make. This move is happening in stages with each visit. The next visit in November will be with the first truck load of things they will bring with them. I can't tell you how delighted that we will be living in the same city again. The following is a quote Karen sent along with a note today detailing the progress being made on the new house. It made me think about my own clutter not only in my home but in my heart. 

Karen writes "Found a neat paragraph in a book I'm reading called "Shelter for the Spirit" by Victoria Moran.  She's talking about clearing out of our homes all the clutter that doesn't serve a purpose, or doesn't make us happy.  She says, "When you exercise discernment about everything, accepted or purchased, that stays in your house, you will find yourself in the presence of something rare and wonderful: unsaturated space.  This emptiness opens the door to those things that will enrich your life in new ways.  What you want and need now is far more likely to make its way to you when you make a place for it.  By eliminating the unnecessary, you create the void.  Nature does her best to fill it.  You decide with what and how much."

Karen goes on to say "There is a verse from the Psalms that I've always loved. 

It's Psalm 101:2-3:  "I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is base." That's my guiding principle for this new house!  It's making it much easier to decide what to pack to take and what to donate, sell, or throw away!"

I have been working in my own small home to eliminate things we no longer need. I did get rid of quite a lot of stuff at the end of the summer. I'm sure I could still find more things that don't serve a purpose or make me happy. Are there any things that might be considered base? Take a look at Psalm 101 in the Message and see if it helps you determine if there are base things that you are setting before your eyes. I am pointing no fingers and I am not condemning anyone else in this. This is one of those examine your own heart and see if there are things that have an un Godly hold on you that perhaps you need to get rid of. 

A David Psalm

101 ^1-8 My theme song is God’s love and justice,
    and I’m singing it right to you, God.
I’m finding my way down the road of right living,
    but how long before you show up?
I’m doing the very best I can,
    and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.
I refuse to take a second look
    at corrupting people and degrading things.
I reject made-in-Canaan gods,
    stay clear of contamination.
The crooked in heart keep their distance;
    I refuse to shake hands with those who plan evil.
I put a gag on the gossip
    who bad-mouths his neighbor;
I can’t stand
    arrogance.
But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people—
    they’re the ones I want working with me;
Men and women on the straight and narrow—
    these are the ones I want at my side.
But no one who traffics in lies
    gets a job with me; I have no patience with liars.
I’ve rounded up all the wicked like cattle
    and herded them right out of the country.
I purged God’s city

    of all who make a business of evil.

Matthew Henry Commentary says this of David " A good purpose concerning his conversation—concerning his conversation in general (how he would behave himself in every thing; he would live by rule, and not at large, not walk at all adventures; he would, though a king, by a solemn covenant bind himself to his good behavior), and concerning his conversation in his family particularly, not only how he would walk when he appeared in public, when he sat in the throne, but how he would walk within his house, where he was more out of the eye of the world, but where he still saw himself under the eye of God. It is not enough to put on our religion when we go abroad and appear before men; but we must govern ourselves by it in our families. 

So there may be some clutter in your home but if you take an honest look you may find some clean up needs to be done in your heart. Are you the same person at the job as you are at church? Are you the same person at church as you are at home? Is your life sincere or are you wearing masks and pretending to be something you are not or worse not being all that you are called to be for Gods glory. 

If I apply that same clutter busting principle to my life as well as to my house are there relationships that drag you down rather than encourage you? Are there behaviors such as fear and doubt that are keeping you from doing things you would really like to do. Are you busy pointing out the flaws and failures of everyone around you when you need to pull a log out of your own eye first. 

Prayer

Perhaps you will make the following passage from Psalm 139:23 your prayer today. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ 

See if there is any offensive way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Help us to create unsaturated space in our homes and in our hearts that you will fill for your purposes and glory.